Taiwanese teams picked up four silvers at the open club competition of the Tug of War Holten 2022 in the Netherlands on Thursday, a warm-up event for this weekend’s World Championship.
The silvers were won by Taiwanese clubs in the mixed 580 kilogram, men’s U18 560 kg, women’s 500 kg, and U23 mixed 560 kg weight classes.
Cho Yao-peng (卓耀鵬), secretary-general of Taiwan’s Tug of War Association, said the open competition featured competing clubs, unlike the World Championship which involves national teams, but it still offered some insight into how this weekend could go.
“Generally speaking, the open competition is similar to a warm-up event before the World Championship, and it is also an opportunity for coaches and players to make adjustments and find out what their opponents are like,” Cho said.
Last year, a Taiwanese team won gold in the women’s 540 kg in the open competition but only came fourth in the World Championship, Cho recalled.
“Coaches from various countries will observe the status of players through the open competition and make lineup adjustments in the World Championship,” Cho said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the training of Taiwanese teams in recent years, while various other countries have seen improvements because they opened up earlier than Taiwan, Cho said.
“This is a warning sign,” Cho said, adding that Taiwan is not as strong in weight classes that it used to dominate, citing the U18 560 kg category.
In the past, Taiwan only needed two pulling turns in the U18 560 kg weight class to win a match, but this year over half of the matches needed extra pulling turns to determine a winner, Cho said.
Taiwan’s biggest hope in the World Championship, held on Saturday and Sunday, is its women’s 540 kg squad, which did not compete in the open competition, Cho said.
The squad swept the outdoor 540 kg division at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in July to clinch its fifth consecutive gold medal at the international multi-sport event.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel